They are handing the keys to two local families, those of Puna Gunaratne and Rumesh Navaratnam, who are looking forward to carrying on the shop's place in the heart of town.
Darren grew up in the industry, with parents who owned newsagencies, while Vikki was a local solicitor.
Together, they took over the Benalla Newsagency 25 years ago ― at the time, their daughter Eve was three years old and daughter Lucy just six months old, making life very busy.
Five years later the couple bought Nunn Street Newsagency and joined the two businesses.
In those early days, Darren opened the shop at 3am, seven days a week, while paperboys delivered the news around town.
Over the years, changes to workplace laws brought four delivery drivers in cars, and with the rise of social media, the delivery territory was handed back to the publishers ― the newsagency became a retailer of newspapers only.
When COVID arrived, the newsagency was considered an essential business, but Darren and Vikki knew they needed to adapt to stay relevant.
They added a large range of gifts to complement their already extensive range of cards, and introduced clothing, an exciting development that kept the business vibrant and successful.
Over the years, Darren and Vikki are proud to have supported many gap-year students, giving them a chance to earn money before heading off to university.
They have also employed many junior casuals and had wonderful long-term, full-time staff.
Retirement for the couple means more time with family, as their daughters both now live in Melbourne.
They are also expecting their first grandchild, with Lucy and her husband, Josh, due in February.
New owners Puna and Rumesh and their families have been active members of the Benalla community for years.
Puna and his wife, Alice, have lived in Benalla for more than 10 years with their daughters, Esme and Nangi (Mabel).
Alice is a registered nurse in the region and is also very involved in the community.
Puna is a councillor on the Benalla Rural City Council, and you will often see Puna and Alice around the shop.
Rumesh’s family moved to Benalla just over three years ago and his wife, Vani, is well known to many locals as a general practitioner in town.
Together, they have three children, Akshaya, Hari and Heshant.
Puna and Rumesh plan to introduce exciting new products across the women's clothing, magazine, book and confectionery sections.
They said customers would still see familiar faces behind the counter, with long-serving staff members Michelle Vance and Keith Wrest set to say on.
Puna and Rumesh said they were delighted by the support they had received from customers and the Benalla community so far, and they looked forward to keeping the newsagency an important part of the town for years to come.
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